8:23 AM,
Jun. 3, 2013

Sharon Casertano, unloading groceries in her kitchen, says she strives to keep sugar to a minimum in her family's diet.

Written by

Bruce Horovitz
USA TODAY

Matthew Casertano has never had a Coke. Or a Pepsi. Or even a root beer.

There was one occasion at summer camp when the then-dehydrated 8-year-old - with no other beverage option available - took one swig of a Sprite and says he almost vomited. "I managed to swallow it down, but I hated it," recalls the third-grader from North Potomac, Md. "I threw the rest away." Casertano says he doesn't want to ever sip another sugary soda again.

Not too many years ago, in a nation mostly raised on sugary treats and sweetened drinks, such stories of kids rejecting sweets would have been met with skepticism - if not ...